S. Korea agrees to trade talks
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - South Korea decided Thursday to begin talks with the United States toward achieving a free trade agreement between the two countries, officials said.

In Business: Crude oil prices rise
NEW YORK - Oil prices rose Friday on the possibility that the International Atomic Energy Agency will refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear program.

Retailers get boost
NEW YORK - Consumers armed with gift cards and lured by mild weather returned to stores and malls in January, buying clearance and spring merchandise ...

CEO shares gift of experience
As the chief executive officer of the largest regional medical center in the world, Richard Wainerdi offered several bits of advice to Amarillo during his visit Tuesday.

In Business: Crude oil prices fall
NEW YORK - Crude oil prices fell below $65 a barrel Thursday, extending Wednesday's drop, after worries over oil supplies in the United States and exports from Iran abated.

Better angry
LUBBOCK - Football players and hockey players sometimes use teammates to get motivated before a game.

Sports Scene: ENMU tests TWU
PORTALES, N.M. - Eastern New Mexico University's Zias will go after their second win in a row when they host Texas Woman's University today in a Lone Star Conference South Division matchup at Greyhound Arena.

Sports Scene: Lowery, Cejka in lead
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. - Steve Lowery shot a 6-under-par 65 in the morning and Alex Cejka matched it at nightfall to share the first-round lead at the FBR Open on Thursday.

Golf Roundup: Henry opens up lead
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. - J.J. Henry birdied a tournament-record seven holes in a row en route to a 10-under-par 61 Friday and a four-stroke lead halfway through the FBR Open.

Health care clinics go retail
OMAHA, NEB. - Fearing bad news as her son suffered with a cough, aches and a sore throat, Donna Bultez found help in the most common of places - her neighborhood grocery store.

Three test negative for bird flu
HONG KONG - Three Hong Kong residents who came in contact with an infected chicken smuggled from China tested negative for bird flu but remained isolated at a hospital Thursday pending further tests.

Coaches, please send us your stats
Area high school basketball coaches are urged to fax or phone in their season team and individual statistics and team overall and district records to the Globe-News by noon Thursday.

Caprock teams take district mat crowns
Caprock made a clean sweep of the District 5 Wrestling Meet, taking home the boys and girls titles in front of about 600 on Friday at the Caprock Activity Center.

Coaches: 5A, 3A changes will water down playoffs
Canyon football coach Blake Bryant knows a bizarre sight might occur next year now that Thursday's University Interscholastic League biennial realignment placed the Eagles in four-team District 5-3A.

Moves hinge on tradition
In the past decade, Stratford has become one of the tradition-rich Class 1A football programs in the state, winning state titles in 2000 and 2005, and reaching the state final in 2004.

Bad boy Bode back, talking again
CHAMONIX, FRANCE - Bode Miller's first day back on the slopes ended with a third-place finish in a World Cup race Thursday, and then skiing's bad boy denied ever suggesting that Lance Armstrong took performance-enhancing drugs.

Around Amarillo
The Amarillo College Retirees Association will meet from 2 to 3 p.m. Monday in the Amarillo Senior Citizens Center, room 115, 1300 S. Polk St.

Canyon student wins $18,000 scholarship
Lindsey Shehan, a junior at Canyon High School, won a free year of tuition worth more than $18,000 to St. Edward's University at Austin for her last-minute entry in the university's "Learn to Think" Student Ad Competition.

HPISD administrator honored by peers
Jan Cleek, an assistant principal at Highland Park Elementary School, is the Assistant Principal of the Year for District 16 of the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association.

Pantex continues wage talks
Union officials and company representatives from BWXT Pantex will continue their wage negotiations next week to avert a possible strike by Metal Trades Council members, a union official said Thursday.

Monster trucks ready to roll tonight
Get ready to plug your ears.
The Rolling Thunder Monster Truck Tour will perform tonight and Saturday in the Amarillo National Center at the Amarillo Tri-State Fairgrounds.

Shark kills Santa Fe woman
SANTA FE, N.M. - A Santa Fe woman has been killed by a shark in the waters off a South Pacific island where she was working as a Peace Corps volunteer.

Residents study Randall airport plan
Local pilots and Randall County residents got their first glimpse of a feasibility study about building a new public airport in the county during a meeting Thursday.

Police car rammed
A pickup rammed a police car on the Canyon Expressway on-ramp to Interstate 27 about 4:30 p.m. Friday, possibly totaling the police cruiser, Amarillo Police Sgt. Jerry McCall said. Officer Justin Sherlen was treated and released for minor injuries at a local hospital. The pickup driver, who was unidentified Friday, wasn't injured, McCall said. Southbound traffic was rerouted for about 30 minutes along Taylor Street. The pickup driver was cited for failure to control speed, McCall said.

Pawned item connected to burglary suspects
Additional charges may be pending against three Amarillo men already facing 11 felony burglary charges among them after police say they linked the trio to a series of break-ins last month.

Rainbow Room marks 10 years of service
One little boy was so proud of his new duds after a trip to the Rainbow Room he didn't want any help cutting off the price tags. That little fellow, 6 or 7 years old, was headed for a foster family after hitting the doorsteps of Child Protective Services.

Schools conduct random drug tests
Many Panhandle school districts have implemented drug-testing programs to give students a reason to say no, officials said, but some school districts faced challenges.

Competing rodent prognosticators
In Amarillo: The inner circle at Wildcat Bluff, Leo Reed, Texas Master Naturalist; Susan Nevad, Region 16 ESE; Brenda Williamson, a volunteer at Wildcat Bluff; and Penni Bentley, director of the visitors center at the Amarillo Civic Center, listen to Amarillo Andy the prairie dog. He was Wildcat Bluff's version of Punxsutawney Phil. After seeing his shadow, he took a bite of Bentley's finger.

Super Pick
Roger Staubach, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback: "I would have sworn Indianapolis would have gone all the way. If Indy had run the table, this wouldn't have been a very good game. With Pittsburgh in there instead of Indy, Seattle has a shot. Since Troy (Aikman) beat the Steelers in the '90s, I'm not anti-Steeler. I don't hate them as much as I should. I think Pittsburgh has something special going on, and they are going to win a close game."

Super Pick
Dr. Dave Rausch, Pennsylvania native and professor of political science at West Texas A&M: "I certainly think this year's Super Bowl has the possibility to be one of the greatest ever. Both teams play similar games. It will be close with Seattle winning in a squeaker. And I grew up in eastern, not western, Pennsylvania." ... Seahawks 23, Steelers 21.

WT aide says Seattle not getting respect
So why is West Texas A&M defensive line coach Michael Sinclair planning to root for the Seattle Seahawks when they play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in Super Bowl XL?

Not just a coach's kid
Tyler Cooper didn't have some 2006 New Year's resolutions that said, among other things: 1. Play with confidence. 2. Contribute when called. 3. Bury the 3-pointer. 4. Feed the open man. 5. Earn teammates' respect.